Volunteering in Sport Clubs in Europe

Siegfried Nagel

(University of Bern)

Brussels

28 September 2017

© S. Nagel 2017

European SIVSCE-conference Social Inclusion and Volunteering in Sport Clubs

Volunteering in sports clubs

• Voluntary work is still the most important resource that allows sport clubs to exist and to offer interesting programs.

• Volunteering is also relevant for civil society, since integration in a club can lead to integration in the broader community.

• However, some sports clubs have difficulty in recruiting and retaining enough qualified volunteers.

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Are there differences as well similarities between sports clubs in the ten countries? Why? What characterises the clubs that are successful in recruiting and retaining volunteers?

(1) Voluntary activities

(2) Which are unpaid or paid for with a symbolic amount

(3) The voluntary activities must be carried out for other people than

the family

(4) For the benefit of other people

(5) Have a formal character (organized or agreed)

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Central characteristics of volunteering (Ibsen, 1992)

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Research questions

1. What role does voluntary work play compared with the work of paid staff? Which developments can be observed in volunteering?

2. What role does volunteering play in club management? How much do clubs experience problems in having enough volunteers?

3. What measures do sports clubs take to recruit and retain volunteers?

4. What individual and organisational factors play a role in volunteer satisfaction?

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Relative share of volunteers in sport clubs

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Country Volunteers in fixed positions Volunteers not in fixed positions

Proportion relative to members (in %)

TOTAL 19 16

Spain 23 18

Hungary 22 16

Netherlands 21 13

Denmark 20 14

England 20 6

Belgium (Flanders) 19 18

Norway 19 16

Poland 18 13

Switzerland 14 25

Germany 13 17

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Participation in formal voluntary work

(percent) (Eurostat, 2015)

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Voluntary work outside the club

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Average time spent on voluntary work

0 5 10 15 20 25

Approximately once a year or less

Approximately once every six months

Approximately once every quarter

Approximately once a month

Approximately every other week

Approximately once a week

2-4 days a week

5 days a week or more

„How often do you typically do voluntary work in the club?“ (in %)

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Development of volunteers in sport clubs

Slight positive correlation between the development of volunteers and the development of paid staff

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Relative share of paid staff in sport clubs

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Country Paid staff (Proportion relative to members, in %)

TOTAL 2

Poland 5

Spain 3

Hungary 2

Germany 2

England 1

Denmark 1

Belgium (Flanders) 1

Netherlands 1

Norway 1

Switzerland 1

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Paid manager in sport clubs

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Country Full-time Part-time No paid manager

Proportion of clubs (in %)

TOTAL 5 4 91

England 12 7 81

Norway 10 7 83

Hungary 9 6 85

Poland 5 4 91

Spain 5 3 92

Denmark 4 4 92

Germany 2 5 93

Netherlands 1 5 94

Belgium (Flanders) 1 2 97

Switzerland 1 2 97

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Paid manager and club size

yes, full time yes, part time no total

1-300 166 (1,1%)

359 (2,3%)

14’864 (96,6%)

15’389

301-1000 221 (4,5%)

379 (7,7%)

4’322 (87,8%)

4’922

>1000 264 (19,9%)

324 (24,4%)

739 (55,7%)

1’327

Total 651 (3,0%)

1’062 (4,9%)

19’925 (92,1%)

21’638

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Crucial role of volunteering in club management

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• Sports clubs with a paid manager agree far less with the

statement that clubs have to be managed exclusively by

volunteers (M = 2.5) than clubs without paid management

(M = 4.1).

• Negative correlation between the opinion that sports clubs

should exclusively be run by volunteers and the average

proportion of paid staff in a club

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Crucial role of volunteering in club management

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Volunteering as an existential challenge

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Club areas operated by volunteers

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Club areas operated by paid staff

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Volunteer recruitment (member perspective)

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Measures to recruit and retain volunteers

Measures Relative share of clubs (%)

The club encourages and motivates its volunteers verbally. 42

The club arranges parties and social gatherings for the volunteers to strengthen group identity.

69

The club informs members that they are expected to contribute with voluntary work. 70

The club informs parents of children who are members that they are expected to contribute with voluntary work.

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The club pays for volunteers to take training or gain qualification. 25

The club rewards its volunteers with benefits in kind. 24

The club has a volunteer or paid staff member with specific responsibility for volunteer management.

13

The club tries to recruit volunteers from outside existing club members. 10

The club has a written strategy for volunteer recruitment. 18

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more often taken by clubs that also reported an increase in the number of volunteers

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Conditions for volunteering

1 = strongly disagree to 5 strongly agree

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Factors Items M (all countries)

Task design tasks are interesting and challenging 4.0

carrying out work autonomously 3.9

Material incentives

getting fringe benefits 2.2

some payment for volunteer work 1.9

Leadership constructive feedback from club management 3.3

information about major club affairs 3.9

Support problems and concerns are taken seriously 3.7

support from other club members 3.9

Recognition work is appreciated 4.2

club honours volunteer work. 3.7

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Satisfaction with conditions for volunteers

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Factors of volunteer satisfaction

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B

Task design -.11** 0

Material incentives .12*** 0/+ Leadership .21*** +

Support .24*** +

Recognition .58*** ++

Size of the club (number of members) -.04* 0

Paid manager R

No paid manager -.04 (n.s.) 0

Modellfit (Nagelkerkes R2) .190

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Summary

• In all ten countries, volunteering is a central element of sports clubs.

• The number of volunteers shows stable figures over the last five years.

• In countries with a relatively low formal volunteering rate in the society as a whole, the relative number of members volunteering in sports clubs is nearly the same as in countries with a high general participation rate.

• Clubs with an increase in the number of volunteers use the following measures: having a person responsible for volunteer management, giving benefits in kind to the volunteers, and recruiting through the networks of current volunteers

• Across all ten countries, a clear majority of volunteers are satisfied with the general conditions that the clubs provide for their work

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Volunteer management in sports clubs – recommendations and

promising strategies I

• Direct recruiting through the network of current volunteers

• Paying attention to expectations of volunteers (higher satisfaction leads

to commitment) and optimising conditions for volunteering

− Recognition (volunteer work is appreciated and honored)

− Leadership (feedback and information)

− Support of volunteers (e.g. by paid staff)

• Giving benefits in kind to the volunteers

• Having a person responsible for volunteer management (volunteer

coordinator)

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• Stimulating the identification with the club

• Promoting a moral commitment to volunteers

• Offering small roles to start volunteering and setting time limits

• Dividing the tasks of large volunteer positions

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Volunteer management in sports clubs – recommendations and

promising strategies II

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National/regional federations and/or sport policy (government) can support clubs in promoting volunteers and implementing a systematic and strategic volunteer management

Initiatives in many countries (government as well as sport federations)

• Volunteer recruitment

• Management of volunteers

• Recognition of volunteers

• Courses and non-formal educations for voluntary leaders

• Support and advice to sports clubs regarding volunteering

General trends in Europe to strengthen volunteering and civil society

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Good practices of engagement in volunteering in sports clubs

(WP-5 report)

• Policy towards volunteering

• Technology support for communication

• Retention of volunteers

• Recruitment of volunteers

• Training

• Indirect but tangible benefits

• New approaches to volunteering

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Future research

Studies to evaluate different strategies, measures and programmes to promote volunteering in sports clubs (in different European countries)?

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What do sports clubs do to successfully recruit and retain volunteers? How satisfied are the volunteers with the support? What are the consequences for long-term volunteering?

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